Windows Insider Canary Channel

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25951 (Canary Channel)

Cumulative Update Build 25951.1010 (KB5031089) is starting to roll out. This update does not include anything new and is designed to test the servicing pipeline for builds in the Canary Channel.

ISOs for this build can be downloaded here.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25967 (Canary Channel)

What's new in Build 25967

Introducing the new Settings homepage
We're introducing a new homepage in Settings that offers you a dynamic and personalized experience. It provides an overview of your device, quick access to key settings, and helps manage your Microsoft account.

We created interactive cards that represent various device and account related settings, grouped by commonly accessed functions. Each card is optimized to offer the most relevant information and controls at your fingertips. In this release, you'll see up to seven cards, with more coming soon.

Here's an overview of each card:

• Recommended settings: This card adapts to your specific usage patterns, providing timely and relevant settings options. It's designed to streamline your settings management and save you time.
  
• Cloud storage: Gives you an overview of your cloud storage use and lets you know when you're nearing capacity.
  
• Account recovery: Helps keep your Microsoft account more secure by helping you add additional recovery info so you never get locked out of your account, even if you forget your password.
  
• Personalization: Brings customization to the forefront by offering one-click access to update your background theme or change your color mode.
  
• Microsoft 365: Provides a quick glimpse of your subscription status and benefits, along with the ability to take some key actions right in Settings instead of going to the web.
  
• Xbox: Similar to the Microsoft 365 card, you'll be able to view your subscription status and manage the subscription from the Settings app.
  
• Bluetooth Devices: To simplify your Bluetooth device management experience, we've brought this to the forefront so you can quickly access and connect to your favorite Bluetooth-enabled devices.
  

You can take swift actions directly from this page with just a click, making device and account management seamless and efficient. What sets the homepage apart even further is that it's more than just a landing page—it evolves and learns with you. As you use your device, it'll adjust to provide the most relevant and useful information based on your usage and preferences.

NOTE: This experience will only be available on Windows 11 Home and Pro editions and not on devices managed by organizations.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Settings > Settings Homepage.

Changes and Improvements

[General]

• The Cortana app is removed after updating to this build. We have ended support for Cortana – see this page for more information.
  

[Quick Settings]

• We are trying out a scrollable view of quick settings to some Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel as part of evaluating effectiveness of different layouts. As part of the change, rather than having to edit the list to add new quick actions, the user now has a scrollable list of quick actions that can be rearranged.

[Settings]

• System Components currently listed in Settings > Apps > Installed Apps page, have moved to its own page under Settings > System > System Components.
  

• Xbox Game Bar is now Game Bar under Settings > Gaming.

[Windows Subsystem for Linux]

• The September 2023 update for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) has been rolled out and includes networking improvements in the latest Insider Preview builds. See this blog post for more details.
  

Fixes for known issues

• Fixed an issue which was causing Insiders to see bugchecks (green screens) in recent Canary Channel builds when shutting down, logging out, or restarting.
• Fixed a white flash when opening File Explorer in dark mode, as well as an issue where File Explorer could get stuck with the wrong colors after switching between light and dark mode.
• Fixed a few issues that were leading to explorer.exe crashes.
• Fixed an issue where File Explorer sorting changes wouldn't persist in folders after you navigated away and back.
• Fixed an issue which was causing icons on the desktop to turn into white generic icons until you refreshed the desktop.
• Did some work to help improve File Explorer performance, including fixing a memory leak which would impact performance over time, and fixing an issue where the tab would get stuck with a loading icon even though loading was finished.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25967 (Canary Channel)

UPDATE 10/10: We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 25967.1010 (KB5032106). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Canary Channel.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25977 (Canary Channel)

What's new in Build 25977

Improving accessibility with Bluetooth® LE Audio
We're excited to announce that Windows has taken a significant step forward in accessibility by supporting the use of hearing aids equipped with the latest Bluetooth® Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) technology. Customers who use these new hearing aids are now able to directly pair, stream audio, and take calls on their Windows PCs with LE Audio support.

This feature is available on Windows devices with our recently announced Bluetooth® LE Audio support, which will be a growing market of devices in the coming months. In upcoming flights, we will be introducing additional capabilities to the hearing aids experience on Windows, such as controlling audio presets directly within Windows settings. Stay tuned for more details about these new capabilities as they roll out.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drives > Bluetooth – Audio quality, glitches, choppiness and stuttering.

Windows Location Improvements
We're adding new controls to help you manage which apps have access to the list of Wi-Fi networks around you, which could be used to determine your location.  You can view and modify which apps can access the list of Wi-Fi networks by navigating to Settings > Privacy & security > Location.
ALT-TEXT: New location access prompt.

To simplify the process of sharing your location with trusted apps, we have also added a new prompt that will appear the first time an app attempts to access your location or Wi-Fi information. This prompt will enable location services and allow the app to access your location, helping you complete tasks such as finding directions or checking the weather without navigating to Settings. Additionally, the prompt will notify when an app unexpectedly requests access to location services so that you can deny it. If you never want apps to access your location, you can turn off 'Notify when apps request location' on the Location Settings page to hide these prompts when location has been turned off.

Once you have granted permission, apps that use location or Wi-Fi information will now appear in Recent activity on the Location page, and the location icon will show in the taskbar while the app is in-use. This will help you better monitor when apps are using this information.

App developers can learn about changes to the API permissions and actions they can take to improve app experiences by reviewing https://aka.ms/WifiAccessChange

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Location Services.

SMB over QUIC Client Access Control
Starting with this build (Build 25977), SMB over QUIC now supports additional access control options for clients. This improves the existing SMB over QUIC feature, which introduced an alternative to the TCP network transport, providing secure, reliable connectivity to edge file servers over untrusted networks like the Internet.

With this new option, administrators can restrict which clients can access SMB over QUIC servers. This option gives organizations additional SMB over QUIC connection protections but does not change the Windows authentication used to make the SMB connection or the end user experience.

This new feature requires both the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25977 as well as a Windows Server Insider Preview Build 25967 or higher running in a VM.

For more information on configuring SMB over QUIC client access control, review https://aka.ms/SmbOverQuicCAC.

Changes and Improvements

[General]

• Starting with this build, Mail and Calendar will no longer be installed after doing a clean install using the provided ISOs here. This ONLY applies for clean installs of Build 25977 and higher in the Canary Channel today. Mail and Calendar will not be removed on upgrade for Insiders in the Canary Channel. You can click here to learn more about the future of Mail and Calendar in Windows.
  

[Start menu]

• The Xbox Game Bar will now show as just Game Bar under the Start menu and also under Settings > System > System Components. This change will come through a Game Bar update via the Microsoft Store.

[Settings]

• In Settings, when looking at your Wi-Fi password under the Wi-Fi properties, we now show a QR code so you can more easily share it with others. We also show a QR code when you set up a mobile hotspot to share your network connection.
  

Fixes for known issues

• Fixed an underlying issue believed to be the root cause of various games having issues launching (citing graphics issues) or changing resolution in Build 25967.
• Did some work to help improve performance when expanding the navigation pane in Task Manager.
• Fixed an issue where certain .rar files would open blank or with an unexpected message saying there was insufficient memory to open the file.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25982 (Canary Channel)

What's new in Build 25982

Copilot in Windows* in Preview
We are beginning to roll out Copilot in Windows in preview to Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel. Rolling this out in the Canary Channel to Insiders in the select global markets mentioned below will be gradual, so some Insiders will not see it immediately.

As Yusuf mentioned in his blog post last month, you can use Copilot to get help with summarizing a web page, composing an email, changing your settings to dark mode, or generating an image for that unique idea in your head. Need to enable Bluetooth or connect a new pair of headphones? Copilot can help. Not sure of the best way to capture a screenshot? Ask Copilot to do it for you. Copilot in Windows can change the way you use your PC and inspire you to try new things that you may not have thought of before. It is where productivity and creativity meet.

To get started, look for the Copilot icon on the taskbar or simply press WIN + C to launch Copilot in Windows using the same Microsoft account (MSA) or Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) account that you use to sign in on Windows.

Just click the "..." icon at the top right of the side bar in Windows Copilot to submit feedback on any issues you run into.

[We are beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn't available to all Insiders in the Canary Channel just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.] 

Availability*: Copilot in Windows in preview is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders in select global markets. The initial markets for the Copilot in Windows preview include North America, United Kingdom and parts of Asia and South America. It is our intention to add additional markets over time.

SMB client encryption
Starting with this build (Build 25982), SMB now supports requiring encryption of all outbound SMB client connections. With this new option, administrators can mandate that all destination servers use SMB 3 and encryption, and if missing those capabilities, the client won't connect. This enforces the highest level of network security as well as bringing management parity to SMB signing, which allows both client and server requirements.

For more information on configuring this SMB client encryption, review https://aka.ms/SmbClientEncrypt. For more information on SMB encryption, review https://aka.ms/SmbEncrypt.

Changes and Improvements

[Networking]

• Discovery of Network-designated Resolvers (DNR) is an upcoming internet standard to discover encrypted DNS servers. Until today, Windows Insiders users had to find out the IP address of their desired encrypted DNS server and manually enter it to configure client-side encrypted DNS on their machine. DNR will enable Windows Insider users to use encrypted DNS protocols like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) on the client-side without requiring manual configuration. Client-side support for DNR is now available in Windows Insiders Insider Preview Build 25982 and higher. For more information, read this blog post.
  

[Dev Drive]

• ReFS filesystem Block Cloning Support is now available in the Windows copy engine. ReFS already supports Block Cloning, so this feature adds native support to copy actions and APIs on Windows. This feature improves the performance of ReFS volumes including Dev Drive volumes for build scenarios or any other copy intensive scenarios, the larger the files being copied the larger the savings.
  

[Remote Desktop]

• We've updated Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe) to now support zoom options of 350, 400, 450, and 500%.

[Settings]

• If you're in light mode, the show accent color on Start and taskbar toggle is greyed out by design and we now show an information bullet that makes it more clear the setting is only available in Windows dark mode.

Fixes for known issues

• Fixed an issue causing voice access to crash for Insiders in the Canary Channel when dictating text.
• Fixed a few issues which could lead to hangs when launching File Explorer.
• Fixed an issue causing the print queue to be inaccessible and show an error if you tried to open it.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25987 (Canary Channel)

Changes and Improvements

[General]

• During setup (OOBE), when you need to connect to a network and there's no Wi-Fi drivers, you'll be given an option to press an "Install Drivers" button to install drivers you have previously downloaded. You will see this change using the ISO for Build 25977 provided here for download and higher.
  
• Starting with this build, the Windows Maps and Movies and TV apps will no longer be installed after doing a clean install of the OS. The Windows Maps and Movies and TV apps will not be removed on upgrade for Insiders in the Canary Channel and continue to be available and updated via the Microsoft Store.

[Settings]

• We've designed the settings page for Delivery Optimization under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization to match the Windows 11 design principles.
  

[File Explorer]

• PNG files now support viewing and editing metadata – for example, if you'd like to set a star rating in Properties, edit the description, or add keywords.

Fixes for known issues

• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to crash in Windows Sandbox when using a non-English display language.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25992 (Canary Channel)

What's new in Build 25992

SMB Changes
Starting with this build (Build 25992), we are introducing the following Server Message Block (SMB) protocol changes.

SMB firewall rule changes: Creating SMB shares changes a longtime Windows Defender Firewall default behavior. Previously, creating a share automatically configured the firewall to enable the rules in the "File and Printer Sharing" group for the given firewall profiles. Now, Windows automatically configures the new "File and Printer Sharing (Restrictive)" group, which no longer contains inbound NetBIOS ports 137-139. We plan future updates for this rule to also remove inbound ICMP, LLMNR, and Spooler Service ports and restrict down to the SMB sharing-necessary ports only.

This change enforces a higher degree of default of network security as well as bringing SMB firewall rules closer to the Windows Server "File Server" role behavior. Administrators can still configure the "File and Printer Sharing" group if necessary as well as modify this new firewall group.

For more information on this change, review https://aka.ms/SMBfirewall. For more information on SMB network security, review Secure SMB Traffic in Windows Server.

SMB NTLM blocking exception list: The new SMB NTLM blocking feature first announced in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25951 now supports specifying exception lists for NTLM usage. This allows an administrator to configure a general block on NTLM usage while still allowing clients to use NTLM for specific servers that do not support Kerberos, either because they are not Active Directory domain joined or are a third party without Kerberos support.

For more information on this change, review https://aka.ms/SmbNtlmBlock.

SMB alternative client and server ports: The SMB client now supports connecting to an SMB server over TCP, QUIC, or RDMA using alternative network ports to the hardcoded defaults. Previously, SMB only supported TCP/445, QUIC/443, and RDMA iWARP/5445. In addition, the SMB over QUIC server in Windows Server also supports endpoints configured with different ports than 443 (this option will be part of a separate Windows Server Insider Preview release). Windows Server does not support configuring alternative SMB server TCP ports, but third parties such as Samba do.

You can specify an alternative SMB client port using the NET USE command and New-SmbMapping PowerShell cmdlet. You can also completely disable this feature with a group policy.

For more information on using this option, review https://aka.ms/SMBAlternativePorts. For more information on configuring non-standard SMB server ports in third parties, consult their product documentation.

SMB over QUIC client access control certificate changes: The SMB over QUIC client access control feature first announced in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25977 now supports using certificates with subject alternative names and not just a single subject. This means the client access control feature now supports using a Microsoft AD Certificate Authority and multiple endpoint names, just like the currently released version of SMB over QUIC. You can now evaluate the feature using the recommended options and not require self-signed test certificates.

For more information on this change, review https://aka.ms/SmbOverQUICCAC. For more information on SMB over QUIC, review https://aka.ms/SMBoverQUIC.

Changes and Improvements

[File Explorer]

• Did some work which should help noticeably improve the performance of opening large .zip files in File Explorer.

Fixes for known issues

• We fixed the issue causing blank options to show on the Personalization and Privacy & Security settings pages, where if clicked on it would crash Settings.
• Fixed an issue causing the context menu to draw off screen when invoked using touch or pen on the side of your desktop.
• Fixed an issue where Settings Home might show a prompt to sign into your Microsoft account, and fail to sign in if you tried to use it, even though Settings itself showed you were already signed in.
• If you were experiencing Quick Settings crashes and WIN + A not working in the previous flight, that should be resolved now.
• Fixed an issue that was causing taskbar icons to disappear after switching desktops.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25997 (Canary Channel)

ISOs for this build can be downloaded here.

Changes and Improvements

[Windows Share]

• If you're signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID, your Microsoft Teams (work or school) contacts will appear in the Windows share window to quickly share to.

[Settings]

• We are beginning to roll out a new option under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Phone Link to disable Phone Link all together in Windows 11. This setting will prevent Phone Link from communicating with your mobile devices.

Fixes for known issues

• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see the latest builds unexpectedly fail to install with 0x80004005.
• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see an increase in bugchecks after upgrading to the previous build.
• Fixed an issue where the context menu in File Explorer, as well as the command bar dropdowns, might go transparent sometimes.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25997 (Canary Channel)

UPDATE 11/17: We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 25997.1010 (KB5033524). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Canary Channel.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26002 (Canary Channel)

What's new in Build 26002

Energy Saver
Starting with this build (Build 26002), we are introducing energy saver, which extends and enhances battery saver. It is an easy way to extend battery life and reduce energy use by trading off some system performance. It can be toggled on and off via Quick Settings in the system tray or configured to run automatically whenever the device reaches a certain battery percentage. While optimized to extend battery life, energy saver will be available when PCs are plugged in (this includes desktop PCs) for those aiming to conserve energy all the time.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Power & Battery > Energy saver.

Changes and Improvements

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• We're trying out a change that improves the overall performance and responsiveness of Quick Settings in the system tray.
• We're making it easier to manage VPN in Quick Settings. If you have a single VPN, a new split toggle lets you turn it on and off with a single click. If you have multiple VPNs, we've made some changes to the list to reduce the time it takes to start a connection.
• We are beginning to roll out a new refresh button on the Wi-Fi Quick Settings flyout so you can now refresh the list of wireless networks available. There is also indication of scan progress to help you find nearby networks if the first scan does not reveal the one you are looking for.

[Settings]

• This update starts the roll out of account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts on the Settings homepage. A Microsoft account connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature displays notifications across the Start menu and Settings. You can manage Settings notifications in Settings > Privacy & security > General.

[Settings]

• Removed colored backplates from app icons in Settings > Apps > Installed apps, as well as Settings > System > Notifications. This is an early implementation with more fixes on the way in future flights.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26002 (Canary Channel)

UPDATE 12/5: We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 26002.1010 (KB5033735). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Canary Channel.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26010 (Canary Channel)

New widgets board settings
We've updated the widget settings experience, providing more ways for users to customize their widgets board experience.  One of the new settings enables you to just show widgets on your widgets board and another makes it easier for you to discover how to personalize your feed content.

The new settings experience also allows you to select the account you want to use for your Microsoft Start powered widgets and feeds. This means you are no longer limited to using the account you used to sign into Windows to drive those experiences, just like your other app powered widgets. You can easily manage the account used by Microsoft Start by navigating to 'Microsoft Start' settings under the 'Personalize your content' section in your widgets board settings. This change allows you to further personalize the experience to your preferences. The new settings experience is not limited by region.

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels this week, so the experience isn't available to all Insiders just yet as we plan to monitor feedback before pushing it out to everyone.]

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Widgets.

Changes and Improvements

[General]

• The Tips app is removed after updating to Build 26002 and higher. The Tips app is deprecated.
  

[Copilot in Windows*]

• We are trying out the ability to "undock" Copilot in Windows with Windows Insiders. Just click the new icon to unpin the Copilot panel at the top right in the header. While undocked, Copilot can appear above or below other apps in Windows while maintaining its fixed position on the desktop. This allows users to access Copilot while minimizing disruption to other user activities. Additionally, can resize the Copilot window for a more comfortable experience. Simply click-and-drag the edge of the Copilot window to adjust the width to your needs.

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• After trying out a scrollable view of quick settings with some Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel starting with Build 25967, we're beginning to roll this out again with some slight refinements. This new scrolling view of quick actions allows you to rearrange the set of quick settings and provides better usability and discoverability for the user.
  

[Task Manager]

• The Task Manager settings page now has Mica material.
  

[Settings]

• Optional features previously listed under Settings > Apps has moved to its own page under Settings > System.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26010 (Canary Channel)

UPDATE 12/12: We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 26010.1010 (KB5034015). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Canary Channel.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26016 (Canary Channel)

 ISOs for this build can be downloaded here. This will be our last Canary Channel flight until January 2024.

NOTE: Some Insiders may experience a download "loop" where the build appears to download multiple times with an 8024200D error. The download will eventually succeed, and the build should install.

What's new in Build 26016

Windows Protected Print Mode
Windows protected print mode lets your PC exclusively print using the Windows modern print stack which is designed to work with Mopria certified printers only. With Mopria certified printers, users no longer must depend on third-party software installers as well as get additional security benefits. Print devices will "just work" resulting in a safe and streamlined installation and printing process. Read more about the security benefits of switching to IPP printing here.

Here is how you can enable Windows protected print mode. These instructions are also published in a Quest for Insiders in Feedback Hub:

• Press Start.
• Open the Local Group Policy Editor.
• Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers.
• Right click on 'Configure Windows protected print' and click 'Edit'.
• Select the 'Enabled' radio button.
• Click 'Apply' and click 'OK'.
• Windows protected print is now enabled.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Devices and Drivers > Print.

Changes and Improvements

[Taskbar & System Tray]

• Added an icon to the "Diagnose network problems" entry when right clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar.

[Corrine]

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26016 (Canary Channel)

UPDATE 12/15: We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 26016.1012 (KB5034402). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Canary Channel.